Postgraduate Course: Ethnopolitical Conflict (SCIL11036)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This postgraduate course provides a framework for an in-depth analysis of contemporary ethnopolitical conflict. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it will analyse the causes and consequences of ethnopolitical conflict and examines the means by which states and international organisations seek to eliminate or manage conflict. The course examines specific themes, including: theories and approaches to ethnicity and ethnopolitical conflict; politicisation of ethnic difference; ethnicity, race and religion; ethnic difference and conflict; ethnic cleansing and genocide; conflict management and conflict resolution; diversity management and power-sharing; third party intervention, migration, and multicultural citizenship. Students are expected to apply these theories and concepts to past and present cases of conflict. The cases will be drawn from across the world. |
| Course description |
Why do some ethnic groups fight violently while others co-exist peacefuly? Under what conditions does politicisation of ethnic difference and ethnicisation of political conflicts occur? What are the causes and consequences of ethnopolitical conflict? What are the main state/ international responses to ethnopolitical conflict? What are the key successful strategies/policies of ethnopolitical conflict management and elimination?
These are some of the key questions that will guide this course that focuses on ethnopolitical conflict as an integral part of the modern order of nation-states. The emphasis in this course is on the incidence and character of ethnopolitical conflict. The first part of the course will analyse and assess a range of explanatory theories and perspectives on ethnicity and ethnopolitical conflict and will examine the conditions under which these conflicts arise. Thereafter the course will discuss various kinds of policy responses that have been and may be adopted to prevent, manage or eliminate conflict.
Indicative lecture schedule:
Part I: Theories and approaches
W1. Introduction: ethnicity, politics and conflict
W2. Ethnicity, race and religion
W3. Approaching ethnopolitical conflict
W4. From ethnic difference to violence: types of conflict
Part II: Eliminating ethnopolitical conflict
W5. Ethnic cleansing and genocide
W6. Partition, secession, irredentism and contested states
W7. Third party (external) intervention in conflict
Part III: Managing ethnopolitical conflict
W8. Post-conflict institutional-building, reconciliation and transitional justice
W9. Managing diversity: minority rights and power sharing
W10. Migration, diaspora and multicultural citizenship
This course meets for two hours each week. It combines lectures by the course organisers and occasional guest lectures. Whereas the first hour is dedicated to lectures, in the second hour students will engage in small group discussions and/or will be assigned different group tasks and exercises.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay in the region of 4000 words. |
| Feedback |
All essays are electronically marked and moderated, and given extensive feedback comments. Students are invited to submit an essay abstract and outline to receive feedback in advance of submitting their essay, that they can feed into the final essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of a range of dominant theories, concepts and principles related to ethnicity, politics of identity and difference and conflict
- Critically apply these theories to concrete historical and contemporary cases
- Critically contextualise ethnic, political and religious conflict within academic theorising of ethnicity and nationalism, as well as within key policy debates around ethnopolitical conflict
- Develop the tools for broader comparative analysis
- Develop and sustain coherent intellectual argument
|
Reading List
Banton, Michael. 2008. ¿The sociology of ethnic relations¿. Ethnic and Racial Studies 31:7.
Cordell, Karl and Wolff, S. 2009. Ethnic Conflict (Polity Press)
Eriksen, Thomas. 1991 ¿Ethnicity versus nationalism¿, Journal of Peace Research 28:3.
Horowitz, Donald. 2000. Ethnic Groups in Conflict (UCP)
Male¿evi¿, Sini¿a. 2006. The Sociology of Ethnicity (Sage)
Mann, Michael. 2005. Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing (CUP)
Nagel, Joane. 1994. ¿Constructing Ethnicity: Creating and Recreating Ethnic Identity and Culture¿ Social Problems, vol. 41, no. 4.
Peterson, Roger. 2002. Understanding Ethnic Violence (CUP)
Rothschild, Joseph. 1981 Ethnopolitics: A Conceptual Framework (CUP).
Smith, Anthony and Hutchinson, John (eds). 1996. Ethnicity (OUP)
Varshney, Ashutosh. 2003. Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life (YUP)
Wimmer, Andreas. 2012. Ethnic Boundary Making. Institutions, Networks, Power (OUP)
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course students should have strengthened their skills in:
- Critically assessing approaches and theories to form informed positions and perspectives
- Link abstract theories and concepts to everyday realities and cases
- Integrate reflexivity into their thinking and writing processes
- Develop problem solving skills through engagement in small group tasks and role playing
|
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Gezim Krasniqi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5094
Email: G.Krasniqi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Emilia Czatkowska
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: Emilia.Czatkowska@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage